


talk about crazy

by lovetalkwoo



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Angst and Romance, Bittersweet, Bittersweet Ending, Director Haechan (NCT), Falling In Love, First Love, Heavy Angst, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan & Seo Youngho | Johnny Are Siblings, M/M, Mentioned Seo Youngho | Johnny, Mentioned Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas, One Shot, Points of View, Rapper Mark Lee (NCT), Sad Ending, Short One Shot, Slow Burn, Time Skips, Unhappy Ending, What Could Have Been, What-If, Young Love, just a long piece of HURT you have been warned, markhyuck, the one that got away
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2020-02-29 03:02:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18769879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovetalkwoo/pseuds/lovetalkwoo
Summary: where aspiring director, donghyuck, and renowned rapper, mark lee, sits down at their hotel bar to share a drink.





	talk about crazy

mark didn’t like donghyuck. not in the beginning, anyway. he felt his laid back and relaxed approach to work was too unprofessional. it made mark anxious and uncomfortable.

“is my career a joke to you?” he had confronted donghyuck on set one day. before this, donghyuck had been playing around with things that mark had deemed pointless — he didn’t see why donghyuck had to stop him in the middle of his flow because there wasn’t ‘enough highlight’ on mark’s face.

who the fuck cared? that was what mark had thought. because to him, who the fuck cared indeed.

“when you start acting like a fucking professional, maybe i’ll start taking you seriously,” donghyuck spat back, letting off steam as well. he thought to himself, maybe if mark hadn’t been so passive aggressive over the past few days, donghyuck wouldn’t have felt so giddy about possibly choking mark to death. maybe mark if hadn’t been so petty over nothing in the last few days, donghyuck would’ve kept his cool. maybe if mark lee had acted like the professional that he claimed to be, donghyuck wouldn’t have been so fired up.

there was a part of both donghyuck and mark that deeply regretted the outburst. it was embarrassing and unprofessional.

mark felt that, of all people, he should’ve known better than to take this confrontation anywhere else but a secluded, private area. maybe even start low — not screaming straight off the bat at his unsuspecting music video director.

but if there hadn’t been this outburst, would there have been a chance for mark and donghyuck to sit down and properly communicate two hours later? (under the demands of both their agents — they were almost done with production and didn’t want anything to go out of hand this late in the game.)

maybe they would have, or maybe they wouldn’t have.

the future of an alternative reality where they had ideally sat down and talked through it like civilized people was uncertain. and they will never know what would’ve happened if mark hadn’t confronted donghyuck like that.

maybe nothing would have changed.

maybe donghyuck wouldn’t have listened.

maybe mark would’ve left the set, hating donghyuck.

they’re not entirely sure.

but what they do know is the outcome of this reality. the one where they went for each other’s throats, got called in for a serious board meeting — “what’s the problem, now?” the head of the meeting sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he did so — that ended in them laying all of their concerns out on the table for all to see, and now at the bar of their hotel ground floor.

talk about crazy.

talk about taking enemies to friends to the extreme.

mark, the rapper who hated donghyuck’s work ethic and donghyuck, the aspiring director with a vision too big for mark to fill. both put on a set and forced to work together. neither of them really asked for it.

maybe that’s why they had such a hard time getting along.

maybe if they had gotten to know each other a little better, things would’ve gone more smoothly.

but no one really knows. not a thing like this

“it’s a nice bracelet.” mark comments on the god awful purple ‘bracelet’ on the other man’s wrist.

donghyuck jangled with the chain of purple buttons on his wrist, “thanks,” mark couldn’t tell if donghyuck was being sarcastic, “my nephew made it for me for my twenty-fifth birthday.” cool.

“i didn’t know you had a nephew.” mark began, making conversations. slowly getting to know donghyuck. slowly.

“yeah,” donghyuck said, pulling out his phone and allowing for mark to learn more about him with open arms.

they leaned closer together at the counter, barely touching. god, it was so warm in here, “that’s my brother, youngho — or his newly established english name: johnny — and this is his son, jaemin.” donghyuck bit his lip nervously. why was he so nervous? he had shown this photo so many times before, “he’s adopted, but johnny is great. treats him like he’s his own.” he smiled, teeth showing.

mark decided that he liked seeing donghyuck this bright. glowing. happy.

they continued to talk that night. sometimes about their families, childhood, and maybe even dabbled a little bit on side hobbies.

like how johnny was currently in chicago, pursuing a doctorate — although donghyuck wasn’t quite what it was that johnny was studying. it’s fun for mark to learn that, unlike most siblings, donghyuck and youngho got a long really well. or that donghyuck likes to go to karaokes — says he’s “really good” at it, but mark’s not sure if he can trust him on that. maybe it’ll be something for mark to fact check in the future.

“it’s late,” donghyuck said, finishing his seventh cocktail for the night, slightly sleepy now, “don’t you have an early flight tomorrow? back to vancouver?”

oh right.

how could mark forget it? he had been looking forward to that flight home ever since he had started working with donghyuck. it was that one thing that pulled mark through when donghyuck was making decisions that he just couldn’t stand. that was until he sat down and talked to donghyuck by the bar of their hotel lobby. sharing a drink and making conversations that he wanted to record and play on loop for forever.

he missed vancouver.

but mark was sure that he was going to miss donghyuck even more.

“yeah,” mark said, setting down his empty glass, “it’s late.”

 

 

 

 

 

++

 

 

 

 

when mark’s manager came to wake him up, it was around four in the morning. he had slept maybe an hour or two and it took a toll on him. he felt sluggish. or maybe it was the idea of leaving donghyuck finally settling in. maybe it was the realization that this will be the last time for a while until he sees donghyuck again.

well, whatever it was, it felt awful.

“ready?” the manager asked.

mark only had the energy to nod between his stifled yawn.

he supposes he’ll see donghyuck again.

 

 

 

 

 

++

 

 

 

 

 

mark doesn’t text donghyuck or call donghyuck. in fact, he doesn’t reach out to donghyuck at all.

it wasn’t that mark was afraid to talk to donghyuck or anything. what would there be for him to fear anyway? donghyuck was the softest being he has ever met. his hair smelled like vanilla. there was nothing to be afraid of. and he meant it — nothing.

it was just that he couldn’t find donghyuck. simple as that. there were no articles written about him. mark tried searching up donghyuck’s possible usernames, but donghyuck didn’t use social media. he was invisible. like as if he didn’t want to be found.

he supposes that he’ll see donghyuck pop up on the scene soon enough.

but hopefully, it won’t be too late then. hopefully, donghyuck doesn’t take this the wrong way. hopefully, donghyuck will understand that mark had tried everything he could to reach out to him, but he just couldn’t find anything about his contact information anywhere online.

mark tried everything, but there’s no way of telling donghyuck that. otherwise, he wouldn’t have to try so hard.

mark just hopes that donghyuck will understand.

 

 

 

 

 

++

 

 

 

 

 

their music video came out a few months later. donghyuck and mark’s. it turned out good — much better than mark had anticipated. maybe he had misjudged donghyuck after all.

he wonders for a moment what his counterpart was doing all the way in seoul. if he’s eaten today. if he’s talked to his brother this week. if he’s sleeping enough at night.

god, he missed donghyuck.

mark wishes he had asked for donghyuck’s number that night. maybe then he wouldn’t have to do so much supposing.

 

 

 

 

 

++

 

 

 

 

 

sometimes, mark liked to play back the conversation. the very one that was taped in the back of his head, constantly looping itself whenever mark needed an escape.

“but we should catch up sometime.” he had said as he helped donghyuck down from the stall that was just a little bit too tall for him. truthfully, donghyuck didn’t need help, mark just wanted to hold his hand and he was feeling bold.

“i’d like that.” donghyuck walked. he moved his hands when he walked, making the bracelet on his wrist jingle. it sounded like the bells people would hang on their front porch, the very ones that the summer breeze would run through and make music with.

“maybe it’ll be sooner than we think.”

“that’d be nice.”

 

 

 

 

 

++

 

 

 

 

 

three years passed by and mark had met someone new: a rapper who had moved from hong kong to vancouver to pursue their career. lucas was great and they shared a lot of things in common. but most of all, mark loved lucas.

with all his heart.

but, sometimes, he can’t help but wonder how donghyuck was doing.

if he was still shooting music videos.

if he still worked with his little glints of passion.

if he was still there at all.

maybe he had moved somewhere else.

maybe he had changed his passion.

maybe he had moved onto something new.

“what’s wrong, baby,” lucas smiled, parting mark’s hair and planting a sweet, soft kiss on his forehead, “something bothering you?”

mark wanted to say something. mention the man he had met a few years ago at a music video set and then never saw again. mention the man he had shared a cocktail with and never got to again. mention the man that could’ve but didn’t.

but that was stupid.

mark loved lucas and god knows where donghyuck was right now.

who cares.

who the fuck cared indeed.

mark loved lucas and that was all.

right?

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading my first ever one shot (/030)/ i hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> ✎ find me on twitter!


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